Alaric naturally didn't join the transaction. Both he and his Jack persona were already well-versed in the knowledge being discussed, so there was no need or reason to participate.
He merely observed as the deal concluded. Audrey "Justice." Having completed her knowledge exchange with Mr. Fool, turned to Alger "The Hanged Man" To ask if he had prepared the items for their trade from the last Tarot Gathering.
The Tarot Gathering then shifted to the members' trading phase. Once it ended, Klein, as the Fool, spoke again, announcing he needed the members' cooperation for an experiment.
This experiment was, of course, the sacrifice ritual Klein had devised. The high-level concept immediately sparked speculation among the members... mainly Audrey and Alger.
To Derrick "The Sun." The Fool being a deity made the use of a sacrifice ritual perfectly normal.
Alaric, fully aware of Klein's secrets, was simply acting while enjoying the show.
With that, the Fool declared the Tarot Gathering concluded.
"With the sacrifice ritual in place, Sefirah Castle's logistics company is officially open for business. Not easy... imagine an evil god in the startup phase managing logistics. No one would believe it." Alaric mused inwardly, pleased with the development. It would make trading within the Tarot Gathering far more convenient.
Glancing out the window to ensure no one was around and that Mr. Fool wasn't secretly watching, Alaric cheerfully went upstairs and retrieved the sealed Conqueror characteristic.
If asked what his greatest gain from the Tingen incident was, it would undoubtedly be this Conqueror characteristic. Alaric hadn't expected Adam to be so generous as to give it to him.
"The only downside is that a pure characteristic isn't very practical. It needs to be crafted into a mystical item." Alaric muttered, prodding the sealed Conqueror characteristic. His thoughts briefly turned to Roselle.
While the God of Steam and Machinery was undoubtedly the best craftsman, Alaric wasn't close to Him and had no leverage to request His help. Roselle, with his clear vulnerabilities and needs, was a far better candidate.
"To summon Roselle's Shadow of Time, I'd need either someone close to him, like Bernadette, or an item directly tied to him… Looks like I'll have to ask Medici for that Red Priest Blasphemy Card. Conveniently, I do need to talk to him." Alaric said, a smirk tugging at his lips.
He indeed needed to meet with Medici... or rather, have a chat with the True Creator's side. Whether it was Adam's request for the Ancient Sun God to witness everything and make a choice or the Conqueror characteristic itself, both were excellent topics, weren't they?
"I just wonder where this characteristic came from. Conqueror, huh…" Alaric recalled the fates of the few Conqueror characteristics mentioned in the original story, his thoughts landing on the Primordial Demoness.
Alaric was well aware of the Primordial Demoness's connections to the Primordial God Almighty and the Original Creator. Thinking of the future, where Cheek and Tudor, that mad couple, would merge to form a miniature Original Creator, Alaric clicked his tongue in disdain.
He didn't care about the Primordial Demoness's schemes. Not only did she fail in the original story, but even if she succeeded in creating the Original Creator, it wouldn't concern him.
"Unless it affects me. If it does… let's see if a half-baked Original Creator is tougher than a complete Celestial Worthy or God Almighty. That'd be quite amusing." Alaric said, his smile widening.
He had no patience for the intricate plots of the Mysterious World's lunatics. Alaric knew he wasn't cut out for such games.
If he was going to play, he'd play big.
"Still, lunatics are troublesome, especially when they're ready to drag the whole world down with them at a moment's notice. Tsk, trying to steal my thunder?" Alaric shook his head. He didn't mind going down with the world, but only if he was the one pulling the strings.
This was precisely why he found the Primordial Demoness and Tudor, that pair of deranged spouses, so irritating. It was a professional rivalry, one might say.
"Better take precautions early…" Alaric tapped the table lightly with his fingertip. "I'll sell this info to Medici during our meeting to keep him from blindly getting himself killed. Honestly, compared to the two Sequence 0s of the Calamity pathway, Medici's too normal. No wonder he can't outplay them."
"But…" Alaric squinted, pressing his fingertip against the Conqueror characteristic. A possibility struck him, and his lips curved into a grin.
"Is this why you gave me the Conqueror characteristic, Adam?"
Others might not know the full extent of the Primordial Demoness and Tudor's plot, but Adam, who had sensed something early and preemptively dealt with Tudor, surely had his suspicions, even if he didn't know everything.
In that context, Adam suddenly gifting Alaric a Conqueror characteristic was intriguing.
The Primordial Demoness might snatch it from others, but taking it from Alaric? She'd have to withstand a slap from the Ancient Sun God first.
"Maybe it's also a test. You're probably curious about how much I know about this world, aren't you…" Alaric chuckled, unbothered whether Adam heard him. He pulled a mirror from the cabinet, ready to arrange a meeting with Medici.
…
"Heard you needed to see me. What's this? Even the great Lord of Chaos needs help from a lowly Red Angel like me?"
Medici arrived promptly, his red-haired wraith appearing silently in the mirror. Like a paper cutout transitioning from two dimensions to three, he stepped into the real world, looking much as he had when Alaric first met him.
No, there were differences... his condition was noticeably better, likely due to the True Creator feeding him some high-sequence Hunter characteristics.
Alaric wasn't surprised to hear "Lord of Chaos" from Medici. Though he hadn't shared the title with the True Creator's camp, Adam was always lurking nearby and would've noticed Alaric mentioning it. Information exchange between them was only natural.
Alaric just glanced at Medici, smiling brightly. "Looks like you and Adam are getting along well. Planning to fight side by side again?" His words carried no sarcasm, only genuine curiosity.
This thoroughly disgusted Medici, his expression visibly souring.
He hadn't forgotten Adam's betrayal, but he also knew that when dealing with the strange being before him, Adam and his Lord sharing information was necessary. As much as it grated on him, Medici had to accept it.
So, hearing Alaric's earnest words, Medici felt as if Amon were crawling over him. He snapped, "Don't say such nauseating things."
"Alright, I respect your wishes. Let's talk about something more pleasant." Alaric said, nodding with a grin. "So, how did you know Adam gave me a Conqueror characteristic?"
"???"
"!!!"
***
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